My students re-grouped this week to work on the school presentation. They rallied into four teams according to their interests: rap song, a skid, a short video, activity to engage the target audience (8th graders!) I asked the class to use an IF-like process during...
After reading Maria's recent post about what she will do next with her IF class now that they are not in their original groups, I realize that I feel I'm at a bit of a crossroads with my class as well. Tomorrow is our last small group discussion on the question...
This week is a short week in my IF class, Art: I Know It When I See It. We had only one class meeting, since it's fall break, so I had to make the most of it. First, I've already had to overhaul my syllabus - the groups' progress has been slower than I had...
My freshman class continued using the IF process this week, though the focus is shifting. They have begun to discuss what/how to share what they have learned about "the value of higher education" with a younger student audience. I asked them to think about what...
I wanted to share my recent experience about using the IF process with a group of faculty at my institution to discuss changing general education requirements. When I attended the 2009 Summer Institute, I considered how to implement IF into venues other than...
This week in my IF-supported course, I struggled with getting my small groups underway. Our class took a day-long trip to Washington, DC last weekend, and we toured the National Gallery of Art, and several other Smithsonian museums. It was a whirlwind tour, but...
Hi everyone, Back in that first week of August, when it seemed we all the time in the world to reflect on our teaching, our courses, and the IF process, I volunteered to blog weekly about my Fall course. The reality of the semester has hit, but it looks like...
The entry below is another story from my colleague Jack Byrd about student experiences with a student-centered discussion class. It might help you think about the ways that discussion facilitation differs from making an oral presentation. You might also think about...
There's an interesting section on "Thinking as Doing" in Matthew Crawford's Shop Class as Soulcraft that can help shed light on what we're trying to convey in our approach to collaborative and developmental discussions (my earlier post on Crawford's book is here)....
The Foundation has published 3 guidebooks for facilitating discussion. You can download a pdf of these guidebooks by clicking on their titles below. Facilitation Guidebook (Jack Byrd, Jr., edited by Adolf Gundersen, 2005) Facilitation Guidebook for Small Group...